Whirlwind
by Glory For Sleep
Summary: He was the king of the skies, yet she was the one who gave him meaning. We all need a reason to land just as much as we need a reason to fly. Rayquaza/Suicune


"Rayquaza?"

She mumbles his name as he approaches her from the sky, her voice quiet with bewilderment. She glances upward; the clouds above shift, trying to rebuild from his descent through them. Despite her raised brows, though, she knows why he's here. The surprise on her face comes from the fact that he had actually bothered to confront her.

"Suicune," he says with a small nod.

He hovers a few feet above the chartreuse ground. She watches. The blades of grass beneath him seem to bow down in his presence – a reflection of the power that radiates from him. She frowns, but she says nothing on this.

"What're you doing here?" he then asks. His eyes are narrowed, bright with a sense of arrogance, but his tone is more curious than anything else.

Suicune turns and points her paw behind her. The waters of a small pond glisten in the sunlight that manages to peek through the forest's treetops, freed from the dark fog that Rayquaza can still see recede into the corner of the depression, as if having been chased away.

"This water was tainted," Suicune says. "I came to purify it."

Rayquaza arches his own brow. "You came all the way from Johto to purify this pond?"

"I travel the world, Rayquaza," she says. "It's my duty to clean darkened waters." She meets his eyes. "Did you forget?"

He pulls back at that and stifles an embarrassed grunt. She was a legendary, like he, and yet the most obvious conclusion of why she had traveled all the way to the Hoenn region had slipped his mind. Her tasks of purification were known well around the other legendaries; her role amongst keeping life balanced was vital to all living beings – both human and pokemon. Most legendary-based duties were. It formed a connection they all shared.

Except him.

Still, he looks at her.

"I just have a lot of things clouding my mind," he says, raising his snout. "That's all."

Suicune acknowledges him with a frown. She knows why he doesn't remember the roles of the other legendaries – and why he usually never does. After all, he lingers in the planet's ozone layer and performs his duties from up there.

He exists in a world above them all.

"I better head back. See you, Suicune," Rayquaza mutters, as if she is nothing but a stranger.

He takes off into the sky and disappears behind the clouds.

Suicune watches after him, her paws planted firmly on the ground. Seconds later, she turns and leaves – but not without a sigh and a slight shake of her head.

She's surprised that he had even remembered her name.

* * *

"How did you know I was there?"

She asks that question the next time she sees him, unable to suppress her curiosity. It's a day later. She's traveling across the Hoenn region again, following the scents of tainted water that only she can see.

"I felt the wind that seems to follow you," Rayquaza tells her. He looks down at the ground. It's grassy, just like the forest they had met in before, but this was a different part of Hoenn. Because of this, he's surprised that they have run into each other again, but he hides this behind a frown. "Speaking of which, I came down here to investigate a strange shift in the weather. I guess that was just you passing by again."

Suicune looks down. He still hovers a few feet above the ground. The grass still bows before him. She emits a thoughtful hum. Her calm demeanor lingers in her dark red eyes.

"It's nice to see you didn't forget this time."

Rayquaza stops at that. He glares at her. "What's that supposed to mean?" he hisses.

She turns her eyes away and shrugs. Intimidation like his is nothing she wasn't used to seeing from her counterparts, Entei and Raikou. "Nothing," she says.

A frown crosses his face. He rolls his eyes and folds his arms.

"I have to get back to what I was doing," he says. "So, if you'll excuse me…"

With a snort, he flies into the air. His size shrinks against the blue sky, until he is no longer there.

Suicune turns and leaves. She realizes with a short pause that this was the first interaction she had shared with Rayquaza in a long time.

That said, her curiosity is far from unsatisfied.

* * *

"Why'd you bother to come down?"

That's the next question she asks when she meets him upon crossing the Hoenn region the next day. She assumes that the winds that follow her attracted his attention, bringing him down from the ozone layer, and she raises a brow at the lack of surprise on his face – as if he had somewhat been expecting her to come around again.

"It's my job," he says. "I keep the weather calm, and I maintain safety over my territory."

"Which is the entire Hoenn region?"

"Pretty much."

She sits down right next to the spot in which he hovers over. She looks down. The ground is sand now. Tiny fragments of rock brush away beneath his presence.

"Why do you keep coming back here?" he then asks, looking down at her, his own sense of curiosity finally grabbing him. "You've surely purified every pool in this entire region by now, considering how fast you run."

"If I'm just passing through," Suicune says, "I might as well say hello to a fellow legendary, right?"

Rayquaza blinks. Then, he smirks.

"Well, I'm the king of the skies," he boasts. "So I guess I would be an interesting pokemon to talk to."

She looks at him – at his smirk – and she rolls her eyes.

But, still, she stays.

And so does he.

* * *

"When was the last time you talked to another legendary?"

That question comes out the following afternoon, where she meets him in another forest. Curiosity has gotten the better of her again, but he doesn't seem to consider her presence a mere break in the climate's normal pattern, like he had those few days ago. Instead, her visits are a fresh pace – a break in a loner-based routine he had spent so many centuries getting used to.

It felt…nice.

Because of this, her question makes him think the more it echoes through his mind. He hadn't seen another legendary's face in a while, apart from the occasional glimpse of Groudon and Kyogre whenever he had to intervene in another one of their heated arguments.

He lived in the ozone layer – he thrived in it. It was because of its veil and his ability to stay in it had he been so concealed away from human eyes since the beginning of their growth. His residence above the world had also obscured him away from the other legendaries, who were rarely ever able to reach the altitudes he could.

When he wasn't protecting Hoenn from harm, he spent all of his time in the ozone layer.

He gazes downward and realizes how foreign the ground looks.

"Not for a while," he then says.

"Oh…" Suicune frowns. She looks at him. "Why?"

He shrugs. "Never considered it to be important. None of the other legendaries seem really interesting to me…"

His sentence trails off. Its ghost haunts the air. He pauses as it fills his head. He glances at Suicune, who slowly narrows her eyes at his words, and it's only then does he see the arrogance behind his tone.

And it's only then does it affect him.

"Uh," he says, faltering. "I didn't mean it like that. I was just saying-"

Suicune cuts him off with a shake of her head.

"Well," she says, smiling, "you're definitely interesting, like you said. It's fun talking to you."

Rayquaza turns his eyes away. He wanted to smirk – a physical 'I told you so!'

He grunts when he can't bring himself to do it.

So, he gazes onward with Suicune instead. Slowly, his body grows closer to the ground – barely an inch, unnoticeable by him.

But she notices it.

And, this time, she's the one who smirks.

* * *

"What do you mean 'arrogant'?"

This time, it's Rayquaza who asks the question. The word has turned up in a conversation he and Suicune share a few days later. His eyes are turned to her, narrowed, yet glowing with what looks like shock.

"You wanted me to be honest," Suicune says. Again, she isn't affected by his intimidation – like most would have. "I mean, I think spending all those years up in the ozone layer gave you a bit of a pride overdose."

Rayquaza snarls. "I am the king of the skies, the protector of Hoenn, and the climate's peacekeeper! How can you call me arrogant? I can't be exaggerating when I really am one of the most important legendaries around!"

Suicune meets his eyes. "You're not down to earth, though."

"Says who?"

Suicune looks up. "You've lived for so long up there, in your own world, that I think it's gone to your head."

"Where's your proof?"

"When's the last time you talked to another legendary apart from me?" she asks. "When's the last time you thought about someone other than yourself?"

Rayquaza opens his mouth to retort. However, nothing comes out; there are no words he could say to prove her wrong. When was the last time he saw the ground? When he saw other legendaries? When he actually acknowledged what was below the skies he spent so much time in – the world beneath his own?

He couldn't answer, because he didn't have an answer.

Slowly, his shoulders drop. His eyes turn to the grassy ground beneath them both. He stares at it. He frowns as he thinks.

"I…uh…"

For once, the great, powerful Rayquaza – the king of the skies – doesn't know what to say.

His thoughts are then broken by a snort. He blinks and turns his head.

And his pride dims even more at the sight of Suicune laughing.

She covers her mouth with her paw and tries to suppress it, but she can't. More bouts of laughter just come out instead.

"Ha ha," Rayquaza says. He snorts, though it's now out of frustration rather than arrogance. "Laugh all you want."

And she does.

Eventually, he grows to tolerate the sound.

* * *

"What happened?"

Another question from Rayquaza, asked in a tone of urgency as he flies toward Suicune. It's raining hard now; the sky covered with thick, gray clouds, contradicting the weeklong forecast of a clear climate that had existed before. Still, he had sensed the winds that had always followed Suicune. They had felt weak this time, though, and once he's close enough, he can identify why.

Cuts and scrapes cover her body. Her eyes droop with fatigue. She stumbles, limping on injured legs.

"Team…Team Rocket," is all she says.

And she collapses onto the ground.

"Suicune!"

Rayquaza touches her forehead with his claw. He could feel the life that still surges through her. He realizes it's weak. He knows that the presence of water would be able to heal her, but the rain falling from above wouldn't be enough for this kind of case.

He doesn't have a second thought about it. He picks her up in his claws and holds her close against his chest. Then, he flies forward and into the sky, searching for a lake – any body of water large enough to support her.

Eventually, he sees a deep pond ahead. He approaches it, ignoring how thunder roars from above and lightning shoots across the sky. He gently lays Suicune into the water, watching as it envelops her, hoping that it would be enough.

And it is.

She bursts from the surface of the water seconds later, her eyes wide with surprise – both at her awakening and the sudden change in her surroundings.

He helps her out of the water. She's still weak, but she clings to him for support.

He doesn't mind. He rather that she do that than collapse again.

She stops and lies down onto the grassy ground. She shivers. She wants to thank him, but she can't find the strength to utter more than one word:

"C-cold."

Rayquaza frowns as he hovers right beside her. The rain is freezing, even against his scales. He looks around for a source of heat that Suicune could use, but he can't see anything.

He looks down at her and watches her shiver.

Then, he reaches for her.

He scoops her up into his arms as he had done before. He holds her against his chest. He can feel her heartbeat, the cold rushes of air that brush his scales with each slow breath, and the warmth as it slowly begins to come back to her wet body. The rain continues to fall, but he shields her in his arms, still hovering a few inches above the ground.

"T-thank you," she mumbles against his skin.

Rayquaza wants to smile, but he forces himself to smirk instead.

"Don't mention it."

* * *

"Suicune?"

Rayquaza utters her name as he approaches the grassy grounds of the Hoenn region. It has been a few days since Suicune had been pursued and injured by Team Rocket, but her fast recovery shows in her strong stance.

She smiles and looks up at him.

"You're not busy, are you?" she asks.

He shrugs. "Eh, I got time to spare."

"I just wanted to say thanks again," Suicune says as she walks along the grass, Rayquaza floating right beside her. "For what you did during the whole Team Rocket thing. They chased me all the way to Hoenn's border, and you were the only pokemon I felt safe coming to."

Rayquaza blinks at that. "Um…" He lets out an awkward cough. He looks into her eyes – brightened hues of scarlet – and calmness fills him. "Yeah. You're welcome."

Suicune nods and sits down at the edge of the nearby pond. She dips her paw into it and smiles.

Rayquaza watches, still hovering right beside her.

"Um, Suicune?"

She looks up at him.

"I…I wanted to thank you, too," he says. "For these past few weeks and everything. It does get pretty lonely up there. It's nice to have someone to talk to."

Suicune chuckles. "You'll always be a loner, though, right? You're still the 'great king of the skies'?"

"Maybe." Rayquaza looks at the water. "But…"

He lowers himself toward the ground. His scales touch the grass. He curls up right beside her.

He meets her shocked eyes.

His smirk turns into a small smile.

And he softly brushes the edge of his tail along the fur on her back.

"But," he then says, "even the 'great king of the skies' has to touch ground sometime."


End file.
